Maryland car insurance – protect yourself and your vehicle

Choosing car insurance can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. The challenge of understanding what coverage is available to you and then matching it to your needs can be overwhelming. In the end, it's often easier to just throw in the towel and go with the insurer that has bombarded you with the most television commercials. You know that’s not a good choice, which is why you have found your way to this site.

At Plutigo, our goal is to help you navigate the car insurance process skillfully and simply. For example, in the table above we've screened out carriers that offer insurance to Maryland residents. There are a lot of moving parts but with some simple screen tools and our pre-qualification form you can minimize the effort you need to put in with this important financial decision.

The two main factors: price and claims

Price is the part you deal with up front when you’re deciding which company and which coverage to select, and claims is the service you have purchased.

Price

Price includes a lot of different elements, and this is where it can be difficult to make a simple apples-to-apples comparison between all the different insurers. Here are just a few of the factors:

• Geography

  Insurance companies are regulated by each state. This means Maryland residents may have different options available to them than residents of other states.

• Age

  Historically, age has been correlated to accidents and claims. Thus, ones age can impact price, e.g. rates for teens and college students are much higher than the rates for 40 year olds.

• Annual mileage driven

  If you commute 100 miles a day and take frequent weekend road trips, expect to pay more than someone who works from home and just drives to the local grocery store and gym a few times a week.

• Driving record

  Recent accidents or speeding tickets can result in considerably higher premiums than if your record has been clean for several years. Recent, in general, means with the past three years.

• Type of vehicle

  A flashy new sports car will cost you more than a 20 year-old compact. There are multiple factors at play here such as, 1) repair prices differ by vehicle, 2) driving style or likelihood of claims.

• Coverage

  This includes things like the amount of deductible you want, how much total liability coverage do you need, do you want to have the insurer cover the cost of a rental car, etc.

• Discounts

  Many insurers offer discounts off the standard price for things like s taking safe driving courses, insuring multiple vehicles, bundling home and car insurance, and even for getting good grades in school.

• Pricing method

  Some companies have added options allowing you to pay premiums based on the exact amount you drive, and how safely you drive, rather than a fixed monthly amount. With this "usage-based" pricing, your mileage and driving safety are measured by an installed tracking device that can monitor things like whether you accelerate and brake smoothly, allowing you to receive great discounts—if your driving satisfies the device’s algorithms.

Claims

Insurance is an unusual product. We pay for it and then hope we never use it. There are several important factors to consider around claim servicing:

• Claim filing process

  How difficult is it to file a claim including available channels (online, phone, availability, etc.).

• Status updates

  While the claim is in process, how well does the insurer keep you abreast of its status and by what method (email, text message, alerts in a mobile app, phone calls, etc.).

• Estimation and repair process

  How convenient or easy is this process, e.g. can you use your own body shop or is the a specific shop you must use.

• Rental car replacement

  If the policy includes rental car replacement coverage, is the process fast and easy, or does require a lot of hoops.

• Helping the customer feel at ease

  A car accident can be highly stressful and dealing with insurance can add to the challenges. An efficient, smooth process and really minimize the stress.

How to buy car insurance

The basic process for selecting and purchasing a car insurance policy boils down to a few key steps:

1. Determine the type and amount of coverage you need
2. Get a few quotes to compare
3. Choose how you want to buy it (agent, direct, etc.)
4. Compare and choose

Coverage includes things like liability, collision, medical payments, and comprehensive damage. Getting quotes can be done very quickly online and will account for things like annual mileage, geography and other items listed in the pricing section above. The way you buy your insurance can vary from using a captive agent, going direct, or working with an independent agent.

Once you've gone through these steps the hard work is done. Insurance is generally purchased every six months or annually. You are also typically able to cancel at any time and get a prorated cost. This means if you don't like the policy you buy you can change it. There is some administrative hassle so its worth a little time and effort.

Our general auto insurance article has a lot more in-depth information around buying auto insurance. Also feel free to utilize our auto insurance quote service to pre-qualify for insurance and discounts with multiple carriers at once.